1968 Grantland Rice Bowl
Akron Zips Louisiana Tech Bulldogs
(7–2–1) (8–2)
Independent Gulf States Conference
13 33
Head coach: 
Gordon K. Larson		 Head coach: 
Maxie Lambright
1234 Total
Akron 0760 13
Louisiana Tech 210012 33
DateDecember 14, 1968
Season1968
StadiumHorace Jones Field
LocationMurfreesboro, Tennessee
MVPTerry Bradshaw (QB, La. Tech)
Attendance2,500[1]
Grantland Rice Bowl
 < 1967  1969 > 

The 1968 Grantland Rice Bowl was an NCAA College Division game following the 1968 season, between the Akron Zips and the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs.[2] This was the last time that the Grantland Rice Bowl was played in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

Notable participants

Louisiana Tech quarterback Terry Bradshaw was selected first in the 1970 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers. His teammates Larry Brewer and Tommy Spinks were also drafted. Bradshaw and Spinks are inductees of their university's athletic hall of fame, as is head coach Maxie Lambright.[3] Bradshaw is an inductee of both the College Football Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

The Akron squad has been designated a Team of Distinction by their university's sports hall of fame; head coach Gordon K. Larson was inducted to the hall in 1975, running back John "Jack" Beidleman was inducted in 1980, and quarterback Don Zwisler was inducted in 1981.[4]

Scoring summary

Scoring summary
Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score
Plays Yards TOP Akron La. Tech
1 8:00 4 41 La. Tech Terry Bradshaw 16-yard touchdown run, Richie Golmon kick good 0 7
1 3:23 6 67 La. Tech Tommy Spinks 36-yard touchdown reception from Terry Bradshaw, Richie Golmon kick good 0 14
1 1:17 10 La. Tech Buster Herren 2-yard touchdown run, Richie Golmon kick good 0 21
2 1:50 4 8 Akron John Vargo 1-yard touchdown run, John Harrison kick good 7 21
3 5:38 19 80 9:30 Akron John Beidleman 13-yard touchdown run, John Harrison kick no good (blocked) 13 21
4 10 62 La. Tech Larry Brewer 6-yard touchdown reception from Terry Bradshaw, Richie Golmon kick no good 13 27
4 9:45 5 46 La. Tech Terry Bradshaw 8-yard touchdown run, 2-point pass failed 13 33
"TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 13 33

[1]

Statistics

1 2 3 4 Total
Zips 0 7 6 0 13
Bulldogs 21 0 0 12 33
Statistics Akron La. Tech
First Downs 14 21
Total offense, yards 196 347
Rushes-yards (net) 54–118 36–86
Passing yards (net) 78 261
Passes, Comp-Att-Int 6–21–3 19–33–2
Time of Possession
Team Category Player Statistics
Akron Passing Don Zwisler
Rushing Ron Lemon 18 car, 75 yds
Receiving Dan Ruff 4 rec, 56 yds
La. Tech Passing Terry Bradshaw 19/33, 261 yds, 2 TD, 2 INT
Rushing Terry Bradshaw 12 car, 35 yds, 2 TD
Receiving Tommy Spinks 12 rec, 167 yds, 1 TD

References

Program cover for 1968 game
  1. ^ a b McIntyre, Bill (December 15, 1968). "Bradshaw Takes Zip Out of Akron In Frigid Grantland Rice Bowl Tilt". The Times. Shreveport, Louisiana. Retrieved January 27, 2017 – via newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "Louisiana Tech Season Schedule - databaseFootball.com/NCAA". Archived from the original on November 30, 2015. Retrieved February 5, 2017.
  3. ^ "LA TECH ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME". latechsports.com. Archived from the original on February 13, 2017. Retrieved February 13, 2017.
  4. ^ "The University of Akron's Sports Hall of Fame". gozips.com. Archived from the original on March 8, 2018. Retrieved March 8, 2018.

Further reading

External links

1968–69 NCAA football bowl game season
Akron Zips bowl games
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs bowl games
Categories